Baseball America Mocks Slugging In-State Infielder to Marlins in 2024 Draft
The Miami Marlins are generally considered to have a power problem.
Having hit only 166 homers last season (30 below the MLB average) and then seeing Jorge Soler and his 36 longballs walk out the door in free agency, the general assumption is that the Marlins are hoping for full seasons from young star Jazz Chisholm Jr. and trade acquisitions Jake Burger and Josh Bell to fill in the gaps.
Baseball America wants to help, giving Miami a cornerstone slugger to build around in this upcoming MLB Draft by sending Florida State third baseman Cam Smith to Miami in their latest mock draft.
Here's what BA said about Smith to Miami:
Smith has a pro-ready body now with impressive raw power and arm strength to go with it. Last summer in the Cape Cod League, Smith did a nice job improving his approach and eye at the plate. So far this spring that’s still the case for the FSU third baseman. Smith is hitting .486/.558/.757 with a 16.3% strikeout rate that’s significantly lower than the 28.7% mark he managed as a freshman in 2023. If he maintains this contact throughout ACC play, he could continue to push up draft boards—though Smith and most of the players in the second half of this mock draft remain polarizing from team to team.
The "polarizing" reference is about Smith's swing-and-miss issues, as the junior struck out 66 times in his freshman year in only 51 games/230 plate appearances. But as the write-up above explains, that's so far dropped in 2024 to only 16.3% after the first weekend of conference play. It's worth noting that the undefeated Florida State Seminoles, unlike many teams, have actually played a surprisingly tough non-conference schedule, defeating four Power 5 teams (including in-state rival Florida) prior to starting ACC play last weekend.
The 2024 MLB Draft is scheduled for July 2024 from Arlington, Texas, held in conjunction with the activities of All-Star Weekend.
Managing Editor for Blackerby Media, covering the Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins Also: Senior Baseball Writer for Auburn Daily, member of both the National College Baseball Writers Association and Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (where he won the 2023 Prospects, Minors, & College Writer of the Year award)